The present invention relates to an infant motor skill developmental aid apparatus. More specifically, the invention relates to an activity center having a support base for seating an infant and a top activity tray.
The science of motor control evolved in the 1980s to encompass a number of different fields, including neuroscience, psychology, and rehabilitation. Motor skill learning, the process of acquiring motor control, is an integral part of this relatively new science.
There are two types of mechanisms that control the execution of a movement. A feedback or closed-loop type mechanism is one in which sensory information initiates and/or plays a direct role in the coordination of the movement. This type of mechanism is used for initial acquisition of a skill. The development of skills which involve eye-hand coordination utilizes this type of mechanism. The feedforward or open-loop mechanism may use sensory information prior to the movement and for evaluation after the movement. Both mechanisms are used in motor control. During the first year of life, a baby often performs new skills slowly and deliberately, using more feedback processes.
It has been stated that ultimate goal of physical motor development is to make the human organism as independent of gravity as is possible within the limitations of the human body. For babies to engage in their world and to environment, it means that they have to become independent. Every since birth it is the babies determination to develop the necessary motor skills that enables him/her to better relate with his/her environment. Consequently: infants who are able to master the motor skill of sitting up unaided gain a totally different view of the environment surrounding them to those who have not mastered that skill and are reliant on aids and parents/care givers to prop them up. Better yet the infant who has mastered the walking process is better equipped to interact with their environment; they can even start to converse and socialize with it, by pointing and pulling people to where they want to go.
It is also important to realize that there are other developmental techniques at play when children engage in motor development. Any task or movement is going to involve motor development skills, the child""s perception of his/her environment and prior experiences, cognitive/metacognition, at performing the task or movement.
The following is what motor development occurs in infancy:
The present invention is particularly related to the ages when the infants are learning sitting, crawling and walking. At three months, usually the infant can hold the head upright in sitting, although support is needed around the thorax because postural control of the trunk has not yet developed sufficiently in an upright position. Initially the spinal extensors activate from the lumbosacral area progressively upward, but the contractions are not sustained nor balanced by flexor activity. Consequently, the baby maintains an upright position briefly at first; however, the duration of holding rapidly increases throughout the month.
It is common that infants have shoulder elevation with humeral extension and elbow flexion during the third month in sifting as the infant learns to control the head and trunk, as shown in FIG. 1. The pelvis and lower extremities do not actively work off the surface and, therefore, do not provide an adequate base of support. Babies this age sit upright infrequently, although they can sit for long periods of time semi-reclined in an infant seat or swing. The back of the seat continues to function as a surface they can push against, providing stability for head and extremity movements. They may try to pull themselves to a more upright sitting position using abdominals, pectorals, and neck flexors, but cannot move their center of gravity forward over the hip join. Motivated by visual stimulation, they play with their developing head control, lifting the head off the support, holding, and turning it.
The four-month-old infant sits upright for 10 to 15 minutes at a time, usually on someone""s lap, and requires support only at the lower trunk or can now be held by the hands, as illustrated in FIG. 2. This increased ability to sit upright indicates several developmental changes. Biomechanical aspects are altered as a greater range of hip external rotation/abduction is available, providing a more stable base of support. The upper extremity pattern of shoulder elevation, humeral extension, and elbow flexion is rarely seen in sifting as the infant can control a larger number of joints and joint motions. Practicing control of the body over the hips, the baby attempts to lean forward to teach or touch an object and return to an erect position. However, postural control has not developed sufficiently to prepare or support the movement so the adult holding the infant stabilizes the trunk or pelvis and assists the infant in coming back to upright. Therefore, sitting erect in a seat without support is not yet functional as the baby slides with attempts to move and reach.
By five months, the hips externally rotate and abduct so the lateral side of the knees can almost touch the surface, providing a larger base of support. The base of support is now more stable, allowing greater active control of the trunk. Bringing the arms down and forward and requiring only minimal or intermittent support, the baby begins to prop on the hands. Sometimes the baby plays with the developing sitting balance, carefully trying to lift one hand to reach or play. At other times, the baby thrusts the body backward or leans far over to the side, challenging the responses of the adult holding the baby. Enjoying an upright view of the world, the baby uses the trunk and pelvic control to sit erect in a variety of seats, which include a bounce-type chair or walker, high chair, stroller, bath seat, and shopping cart. These give the infant different situations for learning to adapt postures and movements for functional activities.
Commercially available baby walkers are designed with the intent of helping babies to learn motor skills more quickly. Baby walkers are wheeled seats that allow a baby""s feet to touch the floor and move the walker around. Recent research has shown that baby walkers are not useful for encouraging walking and other skills. In one study, researchers surveyed the parents of 190 infants on baby walker use and developmental milestones. The study found that the 102 babies who used the devices were, as a group, slower to start crawling, standing alone and walking alone. For example, infants who used walkers stood on their own around the age of 13 months, on average 3 to 4 weeks later than those who didn""t use-walkers. The researchers further found that the more babies used their walkers, the greater the developmental delay. With each 24 hour increase in walker use, both walking alone and standing alone were delayed by more than 3 days.
Using the baby walker, the baby sits on a hanging seat with feet on the floor. With such a body position, it can cause over extension of the infant""s spine and under utilization of abdominal muscles, which results in unbalanced body development, thereby delaying an infant""s walking and development of other body functions. Some medical experts further concern that prolonged use of baby walkers and unbalanced body development could render the grown-ups more prone to spinal injuries.
Therefore, it is apparent that there exists a need for apparatuses which can appropriately support- and enhance the infant motor skill development process.
In one aspect, the present invention relates to an infant motor skill developmental aid apparatus. The apparatus comprises a support base having a planar top surface and a bottom surface; a top tray having an opening for accepting an infant upper body, without a hanging seat; and a connection means connected between the support base and the top tray. Preferably, the support base and the top tray have a circular periphery, and the connection means comprises a plurality of legs connect near peripheries of the support base and the top tray.
In one embodiment, the support base is larger in diameter than the top tray, and the plurality of legs are inclined. The apparatus further comprises a pair of pivotal means at connection points between ends of each of the plurality of legs and the top tray and the support base; and an adjustment means on each of the plurality of legs for adjusting a height of the top tray.
The infant motor skill developmental aid apparatus can further comprise toys mounted on the top tray, or can comprise an exchangeable activity tray adaptable to the top tray.
The apparatus of the present invention can further comprise a removable base attached to the bottom surface of the support base. The removable base has a curved bottom surface enabling a rocking movement of the apparatus. The removable base can also have a plurality of foldable anchoring feet connected to the removable base near periphery, and when the foldable anchoring feet are in an unfold position, the foldable anchoring feet are on the ground supporting the support base in a stationary position. Alternatively, the support base can have a curved bottom surface for rocking and can have a plurality of foldable anchoring feet. The apparatus can further include a fasting means at the opening of the top tray for maintaining the infant at the opening, and cushioning means around the opening of the top tray.
In another embodiment, the diameters of the support base and the top tray are the same, and the plurality of legs are straight in an upright position.
In a further aspect, the present invention relates to a method of assisting infant motor skill development. The method comprises the steps of providing the infant motor skill developmental aid apparatus; placing an infant inside the apparatus through the opening of the top tray, and having the infant sitting on the support base with arms above the top tray and legs laid on top of the support base; adjusting the top tray to an appropriate height according to the infant""s age and motor control ability, and having the infant playing inside the apparatus for a period of time. The method further comprises providing learning items on the top tray for the infant, the learning items being selected to be appropriate for the infant age.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus which promote an infant""s early motor and learning skill development.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide apparatus which can be adjusted for different size and age of infants.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a method of assisting an infant""s motor skill development, which resembles therapeutic training, but does not require personal assistance.
The above and yet other objects of the present invention will become apparent from the hereinafter set forth Detailed Description of the Invention and claims appended herewith.